Gnarly, dude! O’Neill surfs into the sunset
Surfer legend Jack O’Neill has passed away at the grand old age of 94. O’Neill became famous for making the wetsuit a must-have item for surfers. Although he claims to have invented it, there has been some disagreement, but most agree that he was the man who pioneered the suit. Previously, he once recalled, surfers had to make do with woolly jumpers covered in waterproof sealant to keep warm.
O’Neill wore a big beard and an eyepatch, after he lost sight in one eye in a surfing accident. He also used family members to sell his product, dunking his kids in icy water to show off his wetsuit – but business was never that important to him. “I’m not much into business,” he once said. “I’m into the ocean.”